Catching sight of My Arbor for the first time is an experience that can’t be overstated. First of all, you’ve already arrived in the impossibly beautiful, straight-from-a-fairytale town of Bressanone, and done the winding drive up green slopes where all you can hear is the faint tinkle of a cowbell. Now you’re in the trees, looking up at a wooden cuboid that seems precariously perched on the skinny trunks of the surrounding pines.
My Arbor lives every bit upto its self-billed ‘tree hotel’ title. Inside, you’re hit with a tremendous view over the tree-blanketed South Tyrolean mountains from the hotel restaurant’s sweeping terrace. Above you, thick wooden branches hang like a chandelier. Even the reception desk is made up of two gigantic trunks. Our suite (we stayed in the ‘nest’) is appropriately wood-panelled, with a balcony and window nook overlooking the valley and hills. You could stay in your nook all day watching mountain peaks get swallowed by clouds, but you’re much better off donning your robe and taking the lift down to the spa, where you can drink in all those views from a hydrotherapy infinity pool.
By far the pièce de résistance, Spa Arboris is a maze of pools, saunas, steam rooms and relaxation zones spread across the hotel’s lower levels. After a morning hike (we went alone, but the hotel offers guided hikes, forest bathing and all sorts of other activities to guests), I spent an afternoon cocooned in calm here, swimming the length of the indoor-outdoor heated pool and sweating it out at hourly sauna infusion rituals. (Note: these rituals, led by the spa’s very own sauna master, aren’t for the shy nor the faint of heart – you’ll need to get your kit off and the temperatures get pretty intense).
As for the food? The huge buffet of fresh vegetables, salads, breads and canapés is enough to fill you up, but do leave room for the à la carte menu, packed with dainty seasonal dishes. The breakfast buffet is equally as impressive, and the restaurant a destination in itself. You don’t half feel fancy having the same private booth reserved for your room every evening, let me tell you.
Neighbourhood
With South Tyrol boasting 300 days of sunshine a year, total nature immersion is the name of the game here. Acres of forests and the slopes of Mount Plose await hikers, bikers and skiers. In the summer, the rolling hills look straight out of The Sound of Music. If you’re not driving and want to explore the area’s medieval mountain towns, grab a Brixen card from reception for free local bus travel.
Nearby
- Bressanone/Brixen: Don’t leave without taking a stroll through the warren of arcades, cloisters and colourful houses that make up this alpine town – the oldest in Tyrol. The frescoes at the Cathedral of Brixen are a must-see.
- Mount Plose: A short walk from the hotel, this popular resort offers 43 kilometres of slopes and some of the best views in the Dolomites.
- Parco Naturale Puez Odle: A national park boasting multiple trails, craggy peaks and summertime wildflowers.
Time Out tip
Most rooms are booked half-board, but if you’re spending the day at the hotel, you don’t necessarily need to buy lunch – especially if you went hard on the buffet breakfast. There’s a variety of teas to help yourself to in the spa, hourly sauna infusions are followed by snacks and bowls of juicy local apples are dotted all over the place (South Tyrol is known for its apples).